Many years ago, I read the Lord of the Rings and found the name Lorien there. She was the queen of the elves. I promised myself if I ever had a daughter that I would call her Lorien. I think it is a lovely name. I still love it.

Lorien
by J.R.R. Tolkien
from The Fellowship of the Ring

An Elvin -maid there was of old,
A shining star by day:
Her mantle white was hemmed with gold,
Her shoes of silver-gray

A star was bound upon her brows,
A light was on her hair
As sun upon the golden boughs
In Lorien the fair.

Her hair was long, her limbs were white,
And fair she was and free;
And in the wind she went as light
As leaf of linden tree...

Baby Lorien

Lorien in Willimantic, Connecticut.

Lorien in the Fiat Spyder. The little jump seat in the back was made for her.

Constantly amazed by the blades of the fan on the ceiling The clever little glances she gives me can't help but be appealing Yes she loves to ride into town with the top down Feel that warm breeze on her gentle skin She is my next of kin. Jimmy Buffet

Lorien in first grade in The Hague.

(Lori) draws me pictures
She finger paints the sand
We chase the dogs and hop like frogs
Then I do my bad handstands
She's growin' up too fast for me
And askin' lots of questions
Some I know the answers to
And some I'm lookin' for suggestions
Jimmy Buffett

Onze hollandse meisje.

Eating ice cream in Spain on the Costa Brava in October.

Lori traveled all over Europe with us. She also went to a number of different summer camps. She went to camps in South Carolina, Massachusetts, Delaware, Germany, and Switzerland. The International Summer Camp Montana in Switzerland was the grandest. She skied Zermatt in July. Pictures cannot do the area justice. She liked it so much that she returned there for three years - even one year after we returned to the United States. It is a very special place!

Lori and her fiancé, Frank.

Lorien graduated from Simmons College in Boston a year ago with a degree in Nursing, a BSN. She was honored by an award for professionalism which was well deserved. She is completed her master's degree at St. Joseph College in CT in Gerontology. She works as a research assistant on an Alzheimer's project at Yale.

Lori and Frank became engaged at the end of December, 1999. They were  married in May, 2001. We are very, very happy for both of them.